Skaters in Guadalupe are excited. Right now, the closest skate parks are located in Santa Maria and Nipomo, but that’ll change when construction on Las Mujeres Park is complete.
Instead of driving 20 minutes away, Guadalupe residents will be able to walk 10 minutes to the new park from anywhere in town, explained the city’s Recreation and Parks manager, Arnulfo Navarro III.
“Skaters expressed to me what a dream this is for them,” the manager told the Sun. “I’m really excited because there’s not really anywhere to skate here in town.”
He referred to social media chatter that praised the new plans, designed by Pacific Coast Land Design Inc. Navarro takes the engagement as a sign that the community is ready for a new outdoor space to call its own. He met some of the skaters at the park’s Jan. 30 groundbreaking ceremony, a celebration that brought around 30 community members to the site.
Plans have been underway for years, made possible by a $4.9 million grant from California State Parks that Guadalupe received in late 2021. Construction began on the park at 4550 10th St. on Feb. 2 this year, and builders estimated that the job will be complete in 150 working days, Navarro said.
In addition to the skateboarding amenities, Las Mujeres Park will also have a dune-themed playground, a dog park, a bocce ball court, a half-court basketball facility, tables for chess and other games, public art, exercise equipment, and a picnic area with barbecue grills.
It’ll be a much-needed revitalization for the city’s aging parks, and Navarro hopes the new 1.5-acre recreation area will encourage more residents to take advantage of all Guadalupe has to offer.
“I feel like that’s what this park is attributing, to building a better Guadalupe and making more accessible spaces,” he said.
Even the name of the park is a nod to the community. When Navarro was on the Recreation and Parks Commission, he remembers officially granting the name change from its former Central Park to Las Mujeres Park.
“Las Mujeres is something to really pay homage to all the strong women in our community that really are a backbone to our community,” Navarro said. “There are so few parks named after women on the state level, and on the city level, it’s even less.”
Navarro also has a personal connection to the area. He said his dad grew up on a nearby street before the land had a fence and was called a park.
“It’s cool to be a part of the next chapter of this park,” he said, “and to see where it’s at now and to move forward as a communal space.”
This article appears in February 5 – February 12, 2026.